CIO method/Bad Pediatrician advice

First off, if anyone knows of a good pediatrician in Atlanta area please please let me know. We picked our pediatrician because they have a lactation consultant on staff and felt like having doctors that support breast feeding would be a huge plus. The lactation consultant has been great and we have no complaints there.

Anywayy, my son was born a month early and spent first week in NICU, despite the bumps we have been EBF and he is doing very very well. He gained over a pound in this last week. Red flag came up at his pediatrician visit when the doctor asked us about sleeping and told us that babies need to self soothe and can CIO. It wasn't his regular doctor so we shrugged off the advice and went on our way. Today, we went for one month check up and doctor tells me that we need to give him a "minimum of 4 bottles per week" instead of breast. I let it go because I think its bad advice. Does anyone know why this would be a good idea??? Why would you take the BREAST out of BREAST FEEDING????? Then the doctor asks about his sleep and I tell her he feeds every 3 hours and that we co-sleep. She starts digging in about how it isn't safe and she sees so many kids that have rolled off bed and we shouldn't be doing that etc.etc. My husband tells her we tried to put him in packnplay next to our bed but he screamed. She then tells us that we should let our newborn baby cry it out. Better now than later.. etc. Don't rock him or let him fall asleep in our arms.

I don't understand how it is any of her business as a doctor to advocate parenting methods, be it CIO method or any other method. I didn't debate her on any of it because seriously that is not why I go to the doctor to have a damn debate about parenting methods. I know what we are doing and have researched and am comfortable with the way we are choosing to parent. So now I just want to find a new doctor but I feel like they are probably all the same. Anyone out there have a supportive pediatrician??? Advice?

Comments (6)

Pediatricans often advocate parenting methods. It's normal. But it is still your child. They can only give you what they believe to be good advice, but then you have to decide for yourself. Your pedi may have meant that its okay to let baby cry a few minutes in the p and p to get baby to sleep in it. Saying the baby dislikes it seems like you may be projecting on the baby. The baby is too little to have opinions like that. Baby may need to be rocked and then set in the p and p. It's been proven that a baby who cries for a few minutes without soothing is no diferent mentally than a baby who is constantly soothed- i.e. its okay if they cry for a minute. I am not saying you shouldn't soothe, just dont feel like it has to be everytime immedately.

Peditricians often give advice, and that's all it is, advice. And although it's often based on research, just as often it's also based on personal opinions. If your LO is gaining weight and your EBF, there is no reason to give bottles. I'm an advocate of CIO (we used this method on DD#1) but not until they are old enough to understand what is going on, which in my opinion is closer to the year mark (I don't remember exactly when DD went through the phase, but it was after her first birthday). As for Co-sleeping, that's a personal choice and as long as you are doing so safely, then there is no reason why you can't continue. I never thought I would co-sleep and I didn't with DD. I still am not a huge fan, but guess what? My new LO wants to sleep near mommy and daddy. We have a side sleeper and to her, sometimes that's just not close enough. So we practice safe co-sleeping methods and she sleeps in our bed. She and I even fall asleep while breast feeding in the side laying position. I'm sure my peditrician would have a heart attack and lecture me non-stop if she knew that. But on the flip side, my lactation consultant things it's awesome that we are so comfy and that LO can lay there and feed to her hearts content. LOL

I probably would have been irritated too, but I am curious, did the doctor mean CIO for an extended period of time? Or letting baby go for about 5 mins or so to see if they calm down? Some babies can and do settle themselves down after a few minutes, but long term CIO is not good at this age IMO. But the bottom line is that you should have a doctor that you feel comfortable with. Does that mean that they will always agree with you about everything? Probably not, but you should feel comfortable enough with them to discuss what you don't agree on. Trust your mommy instincts and find someone you feel good about.

Our pediatricians give advice like that too. They actually reccomended cio for my dd at 9 months when she stink wouldn't sleep for more than three hours at a time. I ignored it and waited tip she was 14months and it worked for us. However don't do it on a newborn they really don't understand it. A crying newborn has a need even if ir is just needing to snuggle cause they're scared.